Cocina de la familia : more than 200 authentic recipes from Mexican-American home kitchens

415 Pages·1997·0.31 MB·English

by  Marilyn Tausend

FIRESIDE
Rockefeller Center
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
Copyright © 1997 by Marilyn Tausend
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
First Fireside Edition 1999
FIRESIDE and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc.
Permissions Acknowledgments begin on page 393.
Designed by Bonni Leon-Berman
Manufactured in the United States of America
3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4
The Library of Congress has cataloged the Simon & Schuster edition as follows:
Tausend, Marilyn.
Cocina de la familia : more than 200 authentic recipes from Mexican-American home
kitchens / Marilyn Tausend with Miguel Ravago.
p. cm.
1. Mexican American cookery. I. Ravago, Miguel. II. Title.
TX715.2.S69T38 1997
641.59′26872073—dc21 97-26979
CIP
ISBN 0-684-81818-3
0-684-85525-9 (Pbk)
eISBN 978-1-439-13720-8
Also by Marilyn Tausend
Mexico the Beautiful (coauthor)
To Ed Lewis and Fredric Tausend Without these two men in my life book would not be.
My father imbued me with a curiosity about all foods and a deep respect for
those who made feasts out of meager offerings. My husband rekindle my love of
Mexico, and his influence is shown on every page.
M.L.T.
Acknowledgments
Cocina de la Familia is more a historical cooking story than a cookbook. If it were a
stage production, there would be a cast of more than a hundred Mexican Americans and
one Mexican Canadian to be applauded. And I do so—with all my heart. They are the
voices in their own stories; I only put in writing. The pages of this book acknowledge
my gratitude to all who contributed.
My ability to interpret their recipes is built on knowledge I have gained from more than
a decade of learning from innumerable cooks throughout Mexico. In so many instances
when I was interviewing someone in the United States and found the person was from a
specific region in Mexico, I was able to say I had been in that village or city, eaten the
local dishes, and on several occasions even knew the same cooks.
Diana Kennedy opened the wonders of Mexican cooking to me, as she has done for so
many. From he I learned to respect the honesty and integrity of Mexican cooking and
gained an understanding of its flavor dimensions. I seldom cook a Mexican dish without
heeding her many procedural admonitions. “Dearie, don’t boil the cactus to death.” Or,
“Don’t wash away the flavor—every germ is going to perish anyway when we cook it.”
Thank you, Diana, for sharing your knowledge and friendship with me.
My loving thanks to Susy Torres in Puerto Angel, Oaxaca, a member of my “second
family” who traveled with me during my research and acted as an interpreter when
needed, and to Carmen Barnard, my friend and business associate in Morelia,
Michoacán, who cheered me by faxing a constant stream of puns and humorous
drawings, and for her unconventional wisdom.
Wherever I went, I was welcomed into the homes and lives of new and old friends.
They provided me with shelter, good meals, and companionship. So thank you, Rosie
and Don Price in Idaho; Claire Archibald in Oregon; Mary Jo Heavey and Lupe Peach
in Washington; Mario and Diane Montaña, Rusty Mitchell in Colorado; Joe and Elena
Kurstin in Florida; Angelita Espinosa in Michigan; Rick and Deann Bayless in Illinois;
Shirley King in New York; Jeannaine Brookshire in Arizona; Park Kerr in Texas; Bill
and Cheryl Jamison in New Mexico; and Bernadette Guitierrez, Nancy Zaslavsky, Peg
Tomlinson, Kirsten West, and Kurt and Kitty Spataro in California. I want to thank you
all—along with so many others who freely shared insights and information with me.
If a cookbook is to be of value, then the recipes must be accurate and easily understood.
While Miguel and I tested and tasted our way through many, many dishes before
selecting the ones that became part of this collection, there was an informal coterie of
cooks who for over a year diligently and repeatedly tested each recipe. I wish to express
my deep appreciation to these volunteers: Renée Downey, Doris Evans, Marilyn Farrell,
Albert Furbay, Joan Wickham, Allen and Suzanne Peery, Claire Archibald, Shelly
Wiseman, Amy Neal, Darcy Clark, Jessica and Bill Baccus, Nancy Leushel, Kelly
Martin, Maria McMahon, Jeff Pilcher, Terri Pomerenk, Rusty Mitchell, Dane and
Wendy Henas, Nancy Irwin, Shirley King, David and Margaret Juenke, and Corinne
Hagen.
Before I started this book, I never appreciated the role of an agent. Maureen and Eric
Lasher have been indispensable, working with me for several years and through many
drafts until we were all satisfied. The Lashers then found for me a publishing company
with an editor, Sydny Miner, with equal enthusiasm, skill, and patience. Thank you.
I’m one of those strange creatures who write everything by hand on legal paper. My
saving grace is Carole Jordan, my assistant, who for about thirty years has been
deciphering my scrawl and, with the help of her mother, Gwen Jordan, a former
newspaper proofreader, putting into proper form.
I owe a special debt to Miguel Ravago, a second-generation Mexican-American. For
over twenty years he was the co-owner and chef of Fonda San Miguel in Austin, Texas
one of the finest Mexican restaurants in the United States. We were together when my
agent and I first explored the possibility of this book, and Miguel immediately and
wholeheartedly offered his invaluable assistance. Cocina de la Familia has been four
long years aborning. Throughout this time, we worked harmoniously, even though
thousands of miles apart. Often, both of us were preparing the same recipe at the same
time and consulting back and forth by phone and fax. Miguel’s vast experience in
cooking savory Mexican food and his discerning testing provided me with constant
assurance that we were on course.
For over a year my daughter Sara McIntyre opened the front door everyday with an
ungrudging and joyful “Buenos dias, Mama,” and set about washing the constant
accumulation of pots and pans and cleaning up the debris from my cooking. It was the
most unrewarding task of any, yet it was Sara’s unending optimism that kept me going
—to try just one more dish, to verify another fact, or to rewrite another page—even
when I was past all desire to continue.
M.L.T.
Que bonita es la vida cuando nos da de sus riquezas. (How beautiful life is when it
gives us its riches.)
As a little boy I spent countless hours in the kitchen watching my wonderful
grandmother, Guadalupe Velásquez, prepare traditional Mexican dishes while telling me
old family stories from when she was a little girl in Mexico. She transmitted to me the
knowledge of this great cuisine as well as the pride of my heritage. She changed my life
forever. Without her riches I would never have become a chef. Gracias, Abuelita!
I also want to thank my familia—my dear mother, Amelia Galbraith; my sister Betty
Saenz; my aunt Linda Mendivil; and my cousin Dina Mendivil Lansdell—for their
contribution and encouragement, and for just being the best family in the world.
Nushie Chancellor, who gave so much of her time in testing recipes with me, who
helped me with her knowledge and her great Mexican cooking tips, who brought so
much fun to my kitchen all the time we were working, gracias.
Mere words cannot express my appreciation for all the help I received from my dear
friend Philippe Mercier during the preparation of this book from the beginning, and for
his powerful support when I went through hard times this past year. Thanks.
And to the Mexican-American families who helped make this book, thank you all.
M.R.
Contents
Introduction
Basic Techniques of the Mexican-American Kitchen: Roasting, Toasting, Searing,
and Souring
Everyday Basic Ingredients
New Mexico Impressions
Beginnings / Botanas
California Impressions
Salads and Seafood Cocktails / Ensaladas y Cocteles de Marisco
Texas Impressions
Soups and Meals in a Pot / Sopas, Caldos, Pozoles, y Menudos
Arizona Impressions
Quick Bites / Antojitos y Tortas
Illinois Impressions
Main Dishes: Fish, Poultry, Meat, and Lighter Fare / Platillos Principales
Colorado Impressions
Comfortable Companions: Beans, Lentils, Rice, and Vegetables / Comidas
Adicionales: Frijoles, Lentejas, Arroz, y Legumbres
Washington Impressions
Finishing Touches: Salsas, Relishes, Condiments / Salsas y Encurtidos
Michigan Impressions
Tamales / Tamales